The invention is concerned with a vacuum packing machine for meat products or the like having novel means for automatically retracting a projecting end of the product bag when the vacuum chamber cover is closed.
In conventional vacuum packing machines the bagged product or material is placed in the vacuum chamber with the cover of the machine open. Depending upon the length of the bag, its open end projects out of the machine to some extent. Since the bag is evacuated during the packing process, its open end must be entirely enclosed by the machine. That is, any projecting open end of the bag that remains outside of the vacuum chamber may be temporarily pinched shut when the cover is closed, to thereby retain air in the bag and subsequently contaminate a perishable product. Further, during evacuation, the bag is drawn tightly against the product, and in taking up its "slack" in this manner the end of the bag pinched by the cover may become caught and tear or rupture. For this purpose, the end of the bag projecting from the machine is manually pressed into a recess formed in the edge of the vacuum chamber housing. The cover is then closed and the packing process begins.